McMILLAN, Fernie B., St. Helena Parish, Louisiana File prepared by D.N. Pardue and submitted by Inez Bridges Tate. ************************************************ Submitted to the LAGenWeb Archives ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ From "St. Helena Vets Remember World War II: Personal Interviews With World War II Vets", published by St. Helena Historical Association, 1995. Compiled and edited by Inez Bridges Tate and reprinted with permission. FERNIE B. McMILLAN March 26, 1907 to January 7, 1980 Fernie B. McMillan was born in the Sixth Ward and spent his early years there. He married Miss Eula Travis on March 17, 1925. They lived in New Orleans where he was employed by the Coca Cola Company from 1931 - 1939. They then moved back to Kentwood where he was employed locally. They were the parents of eight children, five of whom lived to adulthood. Fernie volunteered for the Navy on December 27, 1943 and took his basic training in San Diego where his cousins Alton and Clyde Ray (Billy) Travis were also in basic training. He also had training as part of a Demolition Beach Party. Training as a coxswain was at Coronado Island, near San Diego. He was assigned to the Elliott, a Personnel Attack Ship. He participated in the invasion of Okinawa on April 1, 1945. Their ship served as a carrier for Marines on Okinawa, going in on the Purple Beach. The ship was struck later by a Japanese kamakazi plane. It was not sunk but Fernie was taken aboard a hospital ship and transported to Washington state. He was sent to a hospital in Sun Valley, Idaho for recuperation. The family did have some pictures of him skiin, wearing his Navy uniform. After Fernie was discharged November 23, 1945, the family lived in the New Zion Community where he operated a dairy farm, later worked at the Jackson, Louisiana Hospital and was a deputy Sheriff for St. Helena Parish. Information was provided by Edward McMillan, son. * * * * *